A Reflective Essay on a Surprise Birthday Party and its Impact

This essay is a reflective piece detailing the author's experience of a surprise birthday party. The author begins by describing the anticipation of their birthday, the initial joy of receiving virtual greetings, and the longing for a physical celebration. The narrative then shifts to the unexpected surprise party, emphasizing the joy of seeing friends, the decorations, and the overall atmosphere. The essay highlights the emotional impact of the event, expressing gratitude towards friends and reflecting on the cherished memories created. The author also mentions the gifts received, the cake cutting, music, dancing and the overall joyous experience, concluding with a sense of gratitude and appreciation for the memorable occasion. The essay also references academic sources related to social development, cultural socialization, and media use among young adults, enriching the reflection with relevant research.

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04 Apr 2019
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Birthday is always special to everyone and so as for me. The joy of happiness further grows
when we have our near and dear ones are close to us on the special occasion. I had a similar
experience in the past week, on my birthday.
Since morning, I was getting wishes from family members as well as from friends. However,
mostly these wishes come in virtual form. I was getting messages on chat, messenger, as well
as on e-mail. On social media sites, especially Facebook and Twitter, I was receiving a
birthday message post from my friends and relatives. All these posts were making my day
(Len-Ríos, Hughes, McKee, & Young, 2016). However, I was dreaming if I could celebrate
this in a bigger form, as a real physical party (March & Fleer, 2017).
In the evening, when I reached my home, I was full of surprising elements. In particular, I
didn't expect any arrangements for this day. However, being fortune with so many loving
friends, I was greeted with a surprise birthday party. It is also important to note for me that all
of my friends came and arranged, however, I didn’t expected them to be together.
The arrangements include decorations with balloons, colorful ribbon, and birthday stickers on
the wall. There were arrangements for snacks and beverages also including the arrangement
for music. All of a sudden, I feel as if something unexpected fulfills all the hidden desires
(Corapci et al., 2018). The event also made me surprised as none of my friends gave me a
clue for their planning. Also, I felt great, when I found a wrist watch which was presented
together by my friends. Finally, I cut the cake, and we distribute it among ourselves. We
shared the food together with the background music. The birthday party also include
moments of dancing together (Aresi & Pedersen, 2016). The party ended till late in the night
and all of us enjoyed to the fullest.
I am very thankful to all my friends for making the moment special and giving me a precious
moment of joy. Altogether, it a surprising yet loving memory for my lifetime.
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References:
Aresi, G., & Pedersen, E. R. (2016). ‘That right level of intoxication’: A Grounded Theory
study on young adults’ drinking in nightlife settings. Journal of Youth Studies, 19(2),
204-220.
Corapci, F., Friedlmeier, W., Benga, O., Strauss, C., Pitica, I., & Susa, G. (2018). Cultural
socialization of toddlers in emotionally charged situations. Social Development, 27(2),
262-278.
Len-Ríos, M. E., Hughes, H. E., McKee, L. G., & Young, H. N. (2016). Early adolescents as
publics: A national survey of teens with social media accounts, their media use
preferences, parental mediation, and perceived Internet literacy. Public Relations
Review, 42(1), 101-108.
March, S., & Fleer, M. (2017). The role of imagination and anticipation in children’s
emotional development. In Perezhivanie, Emotions and Subjectivity. 22(10). pp. 105-
127.
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